Deliver Me
by Luckie D
Summary: Another one of my 'what if' fics. A hot tempered female detective and her easy-going partner head to Baltimore to hunt down a suspect with two of Balto's finest helping along. Can one Balto detective help and figure out what's causing her trouble?


**Author's Note: Since I have this thing for 'What if?' fics, here's another one. While planning out how to introduce Maria Frank, I had two plans in mind and the 'kinder' of the two won over. This one introduces Maria Frank going to Baltimore to find a suspect who is also wanted by the Baltimore police. This will involve language, adult content and some unpleasant cases. Maria isn't a 'nice girl' in this due to troubles in a relationship and at work which results in her and John Munch butting heads over the suspect and what city should get him. With that note, Maria Frank is my own creation and what-not. John Munch belongs to Law and Order: SVU while the others belong to Homicide: Life on the Street. This is set around the fifth season of Homicide.  
**

Maria Frank rubbed her temples slowly, hoping it would release the tension that was heading into another full blown headache. For the past week, she and her partner, Miles, were caught in the middle of a serial rapist with an itch to scratch with African American single women. Working overtime for the fourth day in a row, she was feeling for a hard drink and some major sleep in the crib in the back of their department floor.

Miles Moore looked at their board with a blank mind. He was just as lost and confused as Maria was. Running his fingers through his short reddish brown hair and sighing, the man seemed to gaze off the more he stared at the crime scene photos. "I've got nothing, Maria." He finally said after ten minutes of silence. "Absolutely fucking nothing."

"Don't we all? Seems to be all I'm giving to Gene and he's not accepting it as a suitable excuse anymore." She removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes with a very heavy sigh. "We have no witness, no trace of this fucker or any idea where he's going to turn up. I really hate to say this, but we might have to wait until he strikes again."

"I didn't hear you say that," Miles groaned, turning his head slowly to look at his partner. "I know it's the truth at the moment, but I still didn't hear you say that."

Frank gave a half-shrug and reached to answer the phone. "Maria Frank speaking." Her frown turned into an expression of anger in an instant. "Jesus, Matt. What to you want?"

_"Hey! You told me you would be home an hour ago. Did you forget you have a boyfriend at home?" _

Maria rolled her eyes and lowered her voice. "Look. I'm _really _busy right now and I don't need you calling me up during the middle of a _case_. Or did you forget I'm workin'?"

_"Whatever, Maria. Look, whenever you come home, I'll be in bed."_ With a click, the call was ended on his end.

"Fuck you, too." Maria said bitterly, slamming the phone down and grabbing for a case file to look through.

"Maria and Miles? Come in here, please?" Their captain's voice came from the cave known as his office and the two detectives reluctantly headed in the direction of his office. "Close the door behind you and sit." His gray eyes scanned over their exhausted and stressed faces, he knew they were not really going to like this. "I got a call in Baltimore, Maryland. Our suspect has crossed over their border and has left two women already dead and one in critical condition."

Frank closed her eyes and exhaled a slow breath. "He's escalating?" McKern nodded slowly and she slammed her hand on his desk in anger. "Fuck!"

"Easy, Maria. The Homicide unit in Baltimore is focusing on our suspect and I suggested you two to head down there and find him as a team." He handed Miles the file and leaned back in his desk chair. "Once the suspect is caught, I want him back here in our town and not theirs. Remember the Coleman case, Maria?"She nodded her head slowly. "Well, I don't want to loose this one like how we lost the Coleman family suspect."

"I really don't need to be reminded about that, Cap." She muttered with a hint of anger in her voice.

He stood up and pointed his finger at her. "No, you do. You need to be reminded about how you screwed up that one vital detail that could have put him in our hands. Screw up again and it'll go on your badge. Got it?"

"I got it," She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Good. Now, go back up and head to Baltimore. I don't care how long it takes, but I want that suspect in your hands and in our territory. Now get going," He said with a wave of his hand, motioning them to leave before he ripped Maria another one.

M*M*M*M*M*M*M*M*M*M*M

Standing outside the train station in Baltimore and watching the dark clouds roll by, Maria Frank and Miles Moore were left waiting for a ride to come. A thunderstorm was threatening to ruin their already sour days. "Tell me again, Maria. Why did you leave your K-9 partner behind?" Miles asked, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth as he lit it up.

"I didn't want to drag him along and stress the dog out. He knew I wasn't too pleased with trip and thought it was best for him to stay at the K-9 facilities while I'm gone." She explained, holding her hand out to take his cigarette for a moment and took a slow drag. Her all black German Shepherd partner, Alex, was her close and constant companion when it came to hunting down suspects or offering a huge erect ear to listen for missing children.

"I thought you didn't smoke," Moore cocked a dark red eyebrow and took back his cigarette.

She blew out the smoke and gave him a sideways glance. "I don't."

Miles shook his head and watched a raindrop bounce off the end of his cigarette. "You know, I can't understand you sometimes, Frank."

Maria kicked a rock with the end of her shoe and shrugged. "Don't worry about, Miles. Sooner or later, Matt and I will break up and I can go back to my happy self." She flashed a fake smile. "I don't know why we haven't yet, but it'll happen and he can go fuck himself somewhere else." Hearing a car honking twice and pulling up to them, they both blew out a breath and Miles pressed his cigarette in a rain puddle and tossed it in the trash. "About time."

Two men stepped out the white car and one hand his hand out for them to shake. "Sorry we're late, but my partner wouldn't shut up."

"Look, I just don't see why we need another bunch of de-" The tall man stopped once he noticed Maria and silenced himself. Catching himself before he was caught staring gawking, he extended a hand out and shook her hand. "Welcome to Baltimore."

Maria nodded her head a little and flashed a small smile. "Detective Maria Frank and this is my partner, Miles."

"John Munch and this is Tim Bayliss." He found himself saying without much thought. He was too distracted staring at Maria for some reason._ Aren't you a pretty one. _

Miles reached out and shook his hand as well, giving John a look to let her hand go or have it bitten off. "Miles Moore and here to keep Maria on track with this case. We heard you have our boy in your territory."

Tim nodded his head with a sigh. "Yeah, we do. Kinda hoping he wasn't connected with other cases, but I guess I was wrong. Head to the hotel first or our headquarters?"

"Nah. Let's get to headquarters and get this underway to figure out where we stand and then we can settle down later." She answered, reaching for her suitcase and bag, tossing the bag on her shoulder. "We just want to find this guy before he kills another innocent person."

Both men nodded and helped loaded their luggage into the car trunk. Without much words spoken, they arrived at the Police department within record time and headed up the stairs to the Homicide Unit department. "Welcome to our kingdom." John announced, holding the door open for them to walk in. His dark eyes watched the female detective carefully, noticing her looking around with a show of fascination and interest. "Hey, Gee! We have visitors!"

A tall dark man stepped out from his office and held his hands out to shake. "Thank you for coming down so quickly. I'm Lieutenant Al Giardello."

With introductions aside after a few minutes, Giardello sat the four detectives down in the coffee room and opened their case files. "So, this is what we have; a man roughly six foot tall and in his mid-thirties. With dark hair, gray eyes and targeting African American women. No age or body preference." Maria tapped the file with a pen, showing she was already feeling tired just thinking about the case.

Tim asked, "When was the last time you guys had any action from him?"

"About a week ago," Miles replied, looking to his partner to make sure it was the right amount of time. When she nodded her head and took a sip from her coffee, he continued, "We thought for sure he was laying low before striking again."

"How would he strike?"

Maria lifted up a page and read it. "He would normally strike at night or early morning before the sun fully rose and armed with a pole of some sort to knock his victims unconscious. He would rape them brutally before gutting them when they regained consciousness." The Baltimore detectives cringed and Al shook his head. "Only have one living victim and she's barely alive, on life support and isn't expected to survive."

"What would he gut them with?" John asked her, feeling his body language relaxing as her facial expression relaxed little by little.

"A pocket knife of some sort. We haven't figured out exactly what we have, but we're strongly thinking around there." Her face frowned once again as she looked through the papers. "At this point, he's killed twelve women - mostly hookers - and one in critical condition."

Al stood up and motioned with his hands. "Okay, here's the plan. The four of you are going to work together to find and catch this suspect. I know being from two different territories isn't going to be easy but since he's already starting to murder here, we all need to cooperate." He turned his attention to John and added, "Got it?"

Munch raised his dark eyebrows and sighed. "Got it."

"Good. Now, since this shift is almost done, it would be wise to eat something and get settled in for the night. The real work can begin tomorrow." They watched him leave to instruct a video camera happy man to get out of the way.

Bayliss stood up and caught Miles attention. "Why don't you two come over for a drink? John and I - along with another detective - own a bar here. A drink could be a good way to cool down after your trip here."

"Sure. Fine by me." Moore smiled and looked over at his partner. "How about you Maria? Feeling up for a drink?" For a while, she didn't say anything, her surprisingly beautiful eyes, which Munch had noticed, shifted around to the three men. Finally agree with a nod of her head, her bright partner stood up and clapped his hands. "Well, then. Up on your feet, sport!"

Closing her files and stuffing them back in her bag, Maria just answered with, "Yeah, I'm comin'," and followed them out. She walked next to Miles as the two headed in the direction of the bar, which sat right across the street. "You're chipper today, Miles. What was in the cigarette you were smoking?"

"Just plain ol' tobacco." He turned his head and smiled at his straight faced partner and friend. "I have a really good feeling about this and we're going to get him."

"So you say," She muttered, making sure the two other detectives didn't hear her. "But we're already on thin ice since we lost that other suspect to another territory, if you have already forgotten."

He stopped in his steps and exhaled a slow breath. "This isn't normal of you, Mar. What's going on? Is it Matt again?" She nodded slowly and kept walking until they reached the bar, walking in as Tim held the door open. "This is nice!" Moore looked around, popping a cigarette out of his box. "Really nice!" He scooted onto a stool and Tim poured him a drink as Maria continued to look around.

"Would you like anything, Maria?" John asked, seeing she was still looking around and her eyes scanning over every detail she could see. When he called her name again, she finally turned in his direction and he asked again, "Would you like anything to drink?"

Thinking for a minute, she motioned the back wall and pointed out a bottle. "How about just straight up Jack Daniels?" He nodded and reached for the bottle, filling up a glass and placing it down in front of her. "Thanks."

"Welcome." He said softly, hoping she wasn't going to notice he checking her over. He had to admit she had some serious spunk or a slight attitude about being in Baltimore, but he didn't get a vibe she hates him or his partner. Maybe if he talked to her and got to understand her more, he wouldn't feel like he was dancing around an angry dog. "What do you think of Baltimore?"

She raised her eyes over her drink and their gazes locked for a moment. Lowering the drink, she answered, "It's okay. Reminds me more of the quieter sides of Boston actually." She went quiet and didn't notice Miles motioning for John to come in his direction. Maria went back to looking around the place, distracted from everything going on.

Munch leaned over the counter and listened to the other man talk. "Don't take it personal, but she's been dealing with some real shit lately. This isn't normal of her to be quick to talk and quick to go silent. Maria's really a great person who can melt your heart with a smile and charm you with her eyes." He paused for a moment, making sure she wasn't overhearing them. "I can tell you fancy her. I'm not an idiot. I did the same with my boyfriend when we first saw each other."

"Okay. Just give her some space?"

"Yeah. That's the best you can do. The more you two work together on the case, the more attitude she's going to have to you." He warned Munch carefully with a stern look before turning back to nurse his drink.

* * *

Five days later -

"How about stop fucking calling me when I'm working!" Maria snapped her phone, not caring about who was around her at the moment. "Look. Next time you want to yell at me, talk to my answering machine and stop calling my fucking cell." Shutting it off and tossing it in the backseat, she crossed her arms and glared out the window. "Piece of shit."

John, who was feeling uncomfortable beside her in the car, swallowed heavily and couldn't stop himself from talking. "Relationship going down the drain?"

She turned her head and glared at him, her eyes borrowing into his soul. "Shut up. If I need your opinion, I'll beat it out of you." She pointed a finger at him and he heavily sighed. "Don't sigh at me, detective Munch. Living with a man who sighs like that is enough for me."

"Sorry," He apologized gently, hoping she was going to relax just a little. When she didn't reply back, he kept his mouth shut, however he took a chance to look at her and saw she was staring out the car urge to take a hold of her hand and tell her everything was going to be okay was strong, but he knew better then to risk his life.

"I'm just tired of being here now. All I want to do is find him, win the chance of bringing him back to Boston and close this damn case." She snarled quietly, continuing to stare out the window. "It's a nice town, but I'm tired of being here and working with people I don't know."

"Well, fuck you, too." He snapped, earning another glare from her. "It's not like I enjoy having you here either." John gripped the steering wheel and wished for a moment he could pull over and kick her out - not like she would object - but they had a stakeout to do. "Let's just do this stakeout and get it over with so you can go back to your corner and I can go back to mine."

She shrugged and retorted, "Whatever."

_What shit are you dealing with to show me such hate like this? _He thought to himself. _I don't want to hurt you, Maria, and I know you don't want to hurt me either. _Pulling up to the hotel they were going to be hiding out at, he exited the car before Frank did and headed to the room they were hiding in for the night, Maria following shortly. Signaling to his partner and her partner they were in the room and were not spotted, Munch grabbed for the binoculars and watched the room where the suspect was believed to have been. "Doesn't look like he's returned to the room," He spoke into the hand radio.

_"Yeah, I know. There is someone in the room though. The lights have been turning on and off for a few hours now."_ Tim replied, his voice low so he wouldn't be heard or noticed since he and Miles were closer to the room.

"We'll keep our eyes out for that. For now, we're watching the stairs and parking lot for him." John looked over in the direction of Maria and saw she was sitting in a chair with a cup of coffee in her hand. "Out." He released the radio button and placed it down. "How's the coffee?" _Maybe calmly talking to her about various topics will calm her down. _

She shrugged and swirled it gently in the Styrofoam cup. "It's okay. As long as it's hot and I have cream and sugar to put in it, it's good to me." She glanced over at the coffee machine and motioned with her hand. "Want me to pour you one or will you take care of it yourself?"

"You can pour me one if you want," He answered, slightly surprised by her question. He turned his attention back to the window as she poured him a cup and called his name, holding it out for him. Turning and reaching for it, his fingers brushed against her's and he felt a strange spark. Holding his breath for a minute and gazing in her eyes, he noticed she felt the same thing when her face pinked slightly. "Thanks."

Maria only nodded and went back to paying attention to her own coffee. Hearing her cell going off, she glanced down at it and frowned. "Son of a bitch. Damn fucker doesn't know when to let anything go." John kept his attention to the window, but couldn't help listening to her muttering to herself. "Not answering it this time, Matt. You can go fuck yourself, you piece of rotting flesh."

Munch didn't watch his mouth once more. "Boyfriend?"

"Why must you listen in on my muttering?" She snarled, anger flashing in her eyes again. "Why?"

He sighed again and turned to face her. "Look, I want to help and I'm confused. You're nice to me one second and biting my head off the next! What? Don't want to work with the Yid?"

As if a bomb went off in her head, Maria Frank stood up and got up close to his face. "What the fuck is your problem with not keeping to yourself? Not everything I say revolves around you and don't you **ever** call yourself that awful word around me!" She snapped, her finger pressed up against his chest and they continued to glare at each other until she turned around and laid down on a bed, her back facing him. "Jesus fucking Mary Christ. Who knew I have to work with a man who insults our heritage."

_'Our' heritage? _He thought quickly, a sharp remark turning back into confusion as he looked at her back. "Wait a minute... You're Jewish?" He whispered softly, finally understand her blow up seconds earlier. Watching her curl and fold up in herself on the hotel bed, he knew he hit a nerve. "Oh, hell. I'm sorry, Maria. I'm so sorry," He gently apologized, slowly walking over and sitting down on the bed. "Maria?"

"Don't talk to me, Munch."

"I-If I had known, I wouldn't have-"

She sat up and stared at him. "What? Is my name not enough for you to notice I'm Jewish? I'm sorry I don't have a honkin' nose or dumbo ears, since we're on the top of insulting each other." John lowered his eyes in defeat and Maria laid back down. "Thought so."

"I'm sorry," Was all he could say. Gently touching her shoulder, John moved slowly to wrap his arms around her, hugging her gently. "I'm so sorry."

Closing her eyes for a moment, Maria swallowed heavily and tried hard to not enjoy his arms around her. She had to admit, she felt surprisingly safe for that small moment in time as he hugged her. Matt had never showed her this much care and it was something she wasn't used to after five years with the same fucked up man. Noticing he was resting his cheek on her shoulder, she turned her head just a little to see his eyes were closed and tightened her arms around her more. If she hadn't, Frank would have reached out and hugged him back. There was something about him she couldn't place her finger on.

_"Hey, John?"_ Pulling himself from Maria's comfortable body and reaching for the radio, he answered it and listened for Tim to call back_. "Just saw someone walk into the room who seems to match our man. Did you see him?" _

_No, I was too busy hugging a very beautiful woman to calm her down, _he though, but held his tongue instead. "Yeah, I saw him walk in. Was just about to radio you when you called up. Think we should move in?"

_"No, I don't think so. At least not yet. Out."_

Placing the radio down and stretching his arms out over his head, John looked over his shoulder at Maria. She hadn't moved from her position and he wondered if she had drifted off for a minute. Leaning over her carefully and seeing she was awake, he tired to pull away without startling her, but she turned her head and saw he was there. Quickly noticing how close their faces were, he told himself to pull away, but he didn't. Instead, Munch moved forward and gently pressed his lips against hers.

A full minute later, he pulled away and whispered, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done, but-"

"It's okay," She stopped him and sat up. "Why did you do it?" John couldn't answer her. It was more of an impulse then anything to kiss her and feel her against his lips for a moment. Standing up and looking out the window at the room they were suppose to be watching, he still said nothing. "John? Why-"

"Maybe I should call over your partner so he can watch from here while I watch in the other location." He bluntly said, cutting her off with his back still turned to her. "Keep distractions to a limit between us." He turned slightly and faced in her direction. "I shouldn't have done that and I'm sorry." John called to the other room for her partner to join her and he joined Bayliss in the other room.

Maria was left with thoughts thundering through her head and a confused expression on her face.

* * *

Two days later -

Miles Moore held the phone close to his ear as he listened to their captain rattle off why they needed to gain custody of the suspect. During the second night of the stake out, they were able to apprehend and arrest their suspect without another woman falling into his hands. Now the fun game begin to debate on where he should be held - in Baltimore or Boston. Miles wasn't enjoying being reminded over and over again why they needed this man in their hands. Maria had already been scolded and was throwing a silent fit in the corner of the interrogation room where they were able to talk with Baltimore's DA, Ed Danvers.

"How many crimes did he commit in Boston?" He asked, leaning forward in his seat, watching both do calculations in their heads.

Moore answered, "Around ten women and one is in the hospital in a critical condition."

"Five woman in here in Maryland so you beat us with the numbers." John brought up as he stood in the corner and avoiding looking at Maria at all cost. It wasn't anger he was feeling towards her; it was sexual tension and it was driving him crazy. "At least the four of us were able to catch him before he did any more damage."

"That's true. If we hadn't reached him in time, another women would be his victim." Maria agreed, reaching into her pocket for her ringing cellphone. John's dark eyes watched her face go from calm to highly annoyed in half a second. Locking their eyes together as she turned it off and placed it aside, he could see the pain she was fighting and his heart began to ache. _I want to help you, Maria. Why won't you let me? _Shaking her head from the troubles, she continued with, "Now we get the fun to fight over the suspect like two dogs with a bone-"

"The Boston cops should have him first." Everyone looked at John as he continued to stare at Maria for the first time in a while. "He caused more damage up there and that's where he should go." He crossed his arms and glanced over at Danvers. "Makes sense, doesn't it? Have him be tried in the city where he caused the most damage and then deal with him here in Baltimore."

Ed nodded his head slowly. "Okay. I'll bring that up and see where it leads us. For now, let's continue to place nice with each other. I know how hard it is for the four of you to play nice."

As they began to file out of the room, Maria slowly stepped forward towards him with her arms crossed in defense. "Hey, um...," She paused for a moment to find the right words and get his attention for a moment. "I just want to say thanks. You didn't have to do that."

"No, I had to because it's the right thing to do." He resist the urge to place his hand on her shoulder in case she freaked and closed down even more. "You deserve him more then we do and being in Baltimore longer then a month will start to drive you two to the brink of hiding in every bar."

She cracked a small smile. "So that's what happens to every out of state cop that enters this city." He nodded and they began to notice a different feel between them. "I should grab some dinner anyway and see what Ed says in a few days or so about the suspect. I do have a few things I have to take care of, so I should get going."

"Are you sure you don't want to stop by the bar and grab something there?" He was trying terribly to keep her around him longer, as if he was trying to understand her more.

Sadly, she shook her head. "No, I shouldn't. I'll grab something on the way to the hotel so I can talk with my Captain and crash early." Deep inside, Maria wanted to stay and go over to the bar with him for a bite to eat, but she just couldn't. "But... thanks for the offer." With that, she left and walked away from the one person who could help her.

M*M*M*M*M*M*M*M*M

"I don't get that woman," John muttered as he nursed a glass of beer. Since one of partners in owning the bar, Meldrick Lewis, was working behind the bar, he had a chance to sit and enjoy a drink with Miles Moore. He was nursing a Wild Turkey with a smoke in one hand. "How hard must it be to talk to that woman?"

Miles shrugged, allowing his cigarette to dangle out of his mouth. "Well, with the connection you made with her earlier after mentioning for us to transport the suspect to our town, that's an improvement." Exhaling a slow breath after inhaling a drag, he cocked an eyebrow and asked, "Did you figure out why she's having such a hard time after answering or checking her phone?"

"Actually, I've noticed that and made a comment about it to the point she almost bit my head off." Munch took a low sip from the glass. "Boyfriend issues?"

"Pretty much. She has been with him for five years and they were doing great until three months ago. Some case disturbed her to the point it affected their relationship and the boyfriend never did anything to help her from the beginning of her spiral down or something like that - I never figured out the whole story. Because he didn't, she's stuck in this hole she can't get out of. She's a really good person and the first person to congratulate me when my boyfriend and I announced we were moving in together." He looked around and lowered his voice for only John to hear. "I know and can tell you fancy her and I'm sure she's starting to like you as well."

John tilted his head slightly. "You think so?"

Moore nodded, showing a small smile. "Yes. It's something I've noticed between you two and it's something you might want to consider moving slowly with. At this point of her relationship with Matt, I'm sure she's willingly to drop him for you... If you're not in a relationship, too."

He smiled to himself, not able to stop himself from his thoughts wondering off. _Their lips connecting once again as he made love with her, feeling her tremble under him. Her whispering his name breathlessly with her fingers caressing him... _Munch shook his head slightly and brought himself back to reality. "You do realize you're mention her and I... you know."

"I know. With the work we deal with - day in and day out - the need for a release and human contact can become so strong, someone won't be able to handle it." He emptied his glass and requested for a refill. "Maria's close to blowing up at this point. She needs a gentle hand to steer her in the right direction and an ear to listen to her. By the way, why did you request for me to watch the hotel room from where you two were originally hiding?"

Munch stared at his drink and couldn't think of what to say. The main reason was because he had kissed her and she returned it without punching his lights out, but there was another reason. "I...said something I shouldn't have to her. We had a small argument and I mentioned something about her not wanting to be around a Yid and she blew up on me."

Miles cringed and sighed heavily. "Ouch, John. Ouch. That wasn't the smartest thing to say around her."

"Yeah, I learned that the hard way. I didn't even...make a connection about her full name until right when," He paused as he stared at his drink, wondering if his words had really stung her hard. "Well, I bet you can finish the rest of that sentence." His companion nodded and tossed his head back, finishing his drink in one gulp. "Is it bad for me to say she's beautiful in her own way?"

"No. If I was straight, I would have tagged after her myself. After her relationship with Matt began, she was a very happy person and I could easily tell when she finally had chance to rid herself of stress and tension. But once it went sour, I could practically taste it in the air." His light eyes observed his new drinking friend. "I'm just going to go ahead and say it - you love her, John, and you're afraid."

John lifted his head and nodded, admitting it openly for the first time. "Yes, I do, it's just telling or showing her that scares the _shit _out of me. I swear she's walking on a very thin rope with someone who wants to help her and listen to her-"

"Then tell her _that_!" Miles pointed out, lowering his voice even more. "'Walking on a very thin rope' - that is what you should say to her!"

"Now?"

Moore shook his head and said, "No, not now. Once we get word about who gets the suspect, then you should. Working sex crimes has taught me one thing - when someone doesn't get any pleasurable human contact, that person will snap and she's _extremely _close to snapping."

* * *

"With my ruling, I will allow the Boston detectives to claim the suspect for his trial for the crimes he had committed." With a smack of his gavel, the suspect was lead away to be held before being transported back to Boston in the morning.

John Munch glanced over in Maria's direction and could feel his chance of getting through to her slipping away with each minute that passed. He observed her pick up her papers and place them back into the folder she had brought along. He had to talk to her sooner rather then later. "Hey, um, want to head over for a celebratory drink?" He asked, hoping for at least a yes from her. If not, maybe Miles would drag her along just for the hell of it.

Inhaling a deep breath, Maria lifted her eyes and glanced in his direction, thinking all the while. "I guess so. Never hurts to have a drink knowing the suspect's been caught and heading somewhere to be someone's bitch." She cracked a real small smile for the first time in days and Munch felt himself going slightly red just from seeing it. "Sure. Why not?"

Within an hour, the four detectives - including Tim - joined up for a few drinks at The Waterfront. Standing behind the bar to reach for several glasses and a few bottles behind him, Bayliss poured Maria a Wild Turkey and watched her shoot it back rather quickly. "Guess this all excitement the passed few days finally caught up to you, huh?" He asked, refilling the glass once she motioned for him to refill.

"Yes, I guess you can say that. I'm used to going from city to city, state to state to catch a suspect here and there, but this has felt like a wild ride from Hell." Frank explained, sitting up to run her hands through her hair and flopping forward against the counter. Resting her chin on her hand, she tipped her head back and empty the second one. "A Wild Turkey is always good for the occasional shit that comes my way."

"Hey, you won the suspect. What's the shit in that?" John asked, quickly noticing, even in her slumped position, she still wasn't bad looking at all.

Raising her eyebrows slightly and shifting her eyes to look in his direction, she made a slight correction of herself. "Oh, no. Not that about, just...everything else I've had to deal with today."

John felt a slight nudge from Miles and knew she opened up just a little. "Like what?"

"Just the boyfriend and his attitude. He can just go fuck himself for all I care." She sat up straighter and lowered her eyes. Lifting her newly filled shot glass to her lips, she drank it much slower this time. "Anyway, I should be heading back to the hotel and get some rest." She began to get off and reach for a few spare dollars in her pocket, but John's hand on her shoulder stopped her. "What?"

"I'll take care of it," He offered, nodding towards her now empty shot glass.

"Really?" When he nodded, Maria cracked another smile and snorted to herself. "You're not such a bad guy after all. Guess it took me two weeks to learn that." With a small wink, she grabbed for her coat and headed out the door.

Munch turned his head in her direction and watched her leave, feeling his chances going out the door with her. Hearing Timmy clearing his throat, he turned towards his partner and watched him motion with his head. "Going to go after her or not?"

"Does _everybody _know about _this_?" He raised his voice slightly, raising his arms.

Bayliss chuckled and leaned over the counter. "It's not hard to miss and she just gave you a chance with that wink. Now get or I'm kicking your Jewish ass to follow her."

Tossing his head back and emptying his glass quickly, he reached for his coat and rushed out in the direction she headed. Being a class-A detective like himself, John kept his distance as he watched her from his car, seeing what room Maria walked to at the hotel. Bundling up what courage he had left to face the woman who had kept a wall between the two of them, he parked his car and carefully made his way up to the room he saw her enter.

All he had left to do was knock on the door. Didn't seem hard in his mind, but after seeing her blow up on him several times, he didn't know if he could deal with it. He had already had enough china thrown at him for the smallest things. Raising his hand, he knocked only twice and waited, feeling his heart pounding in his chest.

Maria peered through the peephole and slowly unlocked the door once she noticed it was him. "Yes?"

"We need to talk," He found himself saying without thinking clearly.

"About what?" She opened the door a little more, with some concern etched in her face.

Munch bit the inside of his bottom lip and muttered, "About us." When she didn't slam the door on him, he asked her, "Can I come in for a moment. Please?" Maria moved aside and opened the door more, allowing him to come in. "Do you mind where I place my coat?"

"No, you can place it where ever you feel like," She answered, placing her hands in her pockets and suddenly feeling slightly defensive. "What do we need to talk about that has to do with us?"

Munch placed his coat on the back of a chair, noticing she was already starting to back for the trip home. "First off, I know things have been really rough between us for some reason and I want to get that out of the way. Second, I can tell you need to get something off your chest. Either your boyfriend or work - it doesn't matter to me, but I want to help you."

"Ah," Was all she could say, sitting down on the bed with her legs tucked under her. "I thought it was going to be about that kiss you slipped me back when we were staking out earlier."

"That, too." He admitted, feeling his face going slightly red once he remembered it. John pulled a chair out and sat down, noticing she had lowered her eyes yet again. "C'mon. Just talk to me. I want to help you, Maria."

Maria raised her head asking, "Why do you want to help me? You didn't know me as of two _weeks _ago."

"Because there's something about you I like." He admitted, feeling his nerves relaxing the more he spoke to her. "That kiss a few days back wasn't just some random thing I came up with. I like you enough that I want to help. I want to listen to what's bothering you enough to take it out on someone else." This time, she crossed her arms over her chest defensively, showing he had hit the right nerve. "Please?"

"You plead a lot, do you know that?" She asked, randomly changing the subject for a moment. "Guess your momma taught you the right manners, huh?" He didn't budge or make a notion he was going to answer her. Instead, he removed his glasses and observed her with his own eyes, showing her he was fully concerned. "You don't scare me."

He slowly shook his head. "I'm not trying to scare you, Maria Frank. I just want to help. Lash out at me if it makes you feel better." He offered, removing his weapon from his shoulder holster, locking it and placing it on the table. "C'mon. Since you are feeling so much hate and pain, lash out if it makes everything feel better. These walls are sound proof, so no one would hear you."

A few moments of silence went by with the two just staring at each other. Nothing Maria would have said or done would have made him leave at this point. Once he hit that nerve and she became defensive, he knew he was in too deep and couldn't stop there. If John Munch was going to have to sit there all night waiting for her to talk, then so be it. Finally, after forty-five minutes, Maria spoke in a low voice. "Fine. You _want _to know? I'll tell you. It's work, my relationship and everything else that keeps going wrong in both categories. Which one would you love to hear first?"

"Let's talk about your relationship first since it seems to affect work." John sighed in relief, leaning back in the chair a little with his fingers folded in front of him on his lap.

"His name's Matthew and we've been together for a few years. Everything started out great until a few months back, when we hit a snag in our relationship all because of one case." She un-tucked her legs under her and allowed them to hang down from the bed, her bare toes lightly touching the carpet. "All because of this one case, our relationship has gone to Hell. Now he won't look at me correctly, randomly calls me during work hours, demands to know where I am or what I'm doing, and...," She paused to take a deep breath before continuing. "He hasn't touched me right in three months now."

"What happened in the case that caused this to happen?" He asked, showing he was fully listening to her.

Maria snorted and looked down at her hands, picking at a finger nail. "His cousin...was part of a kiddie porn ring." Silence sat between them for a few minutes as John took it in, feeling his heart sink for her. "He thinks we planted it just to frame his cousin and he still believes his cousin is _innocent_."

"I'm sorry," Was all he could say, feeling a pull to just hold her hand. Scooting the chair closer and carefully reaching his hand out, he took a hold of her cold hand and squeezed it. Maria lifted her eyes and he saw the terrible sadness, anger and hurt in her eyes. It explained everything. "I'm so sorry."

She shook her head slowly and gently returned the squeeze. "It's not your fault, it's _him _and his cousin. I want to leave him but...it's hard thinking of coming home to an empty place after seeing what happens to people all the time."

"Think you ever will?"

"Maybe someday. Hell, maybe a few days when I return home." Her tiny fake smile didn't cover up the hurt she was dealing with. "Working sex crimes isn't a walk in the park, after all." Maria didn't flinch or cringe when he moved from the chair to right next to her, his other hand on her back. "Gotta deal with the shit people pull on others to gain control or show how sick they are."

John wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Nothing he could have said would have made it any better, but hugging her seemed like the right thing at that moment. When she didn't push him away, he moved closer and gathered her in his long arms until she settled against him. It just felt so right to him...and to her. "Why do you do it?" He asked gently moments later, noticing she hadn't shed a single tear or lashed out yet.

"To save and protect others from those who can't or won't." Maria explained, finally moving to wrap her arms around him. "I can't let what happen in my past happen to others." John pulled away slightly to look down at her. "I can't let it happen to those I can get to in time." Before he could asked what she meant, his mind went blank when she reached up and kissed him.

It felt _right_.

Knowing if they didn't stop now, things were going to escalate to something more powerful between them and John didn't want it to stop. Reaching up to loosen and remove his tie, he felt her hands roam up into his hair, pulling him closer to her. He pushed her back onto the bed and hovered over her for a few moments before claiming her lips once more. Noticing her hands were tugging at his belt, he pulled away and took a hold of her hands at sudden realization. "You do know where _this _is going. Don't you?" He asked, panting.

Maria bit the inside of her lip and kept her eyes gazed on his. "I know and I want this. I want _you_," She breathed, tracing her hand along his chest slowly. "You pleaded for me to tell you. Now I'm pleading for you to just be here with me." Her fingers lightly touched his face and he closed his eyes from the contact. "I know you do, too."

Tucking a dark strand behind her ear, he admitted he wanted to be with her just as much as she wanted him. Sitting up on his knees, he loosened his belt and moved to remove what he had on, except for his boxers. Keeping his eyes on her's, he bent down and reached into his wallet for a condom. Maria grinned and pulled her knees close to her chest. for the first time, Munch saw a real grin from Maria and he finally saw life spark in her hurt eyes. Gazing deeply into her eyes, he effectively removed what she had one and stood back, admiring the view before him. "You are amazingly beautiful," He breathed, removing his boxers in one swift move.

Giggling when he moved onto the bed, Frank placed her hands along his chest and felt the warmth of his flesh for the first time. As she took her time admiring him, he placed small kisses along her neck and shoulder until he hit a sensitive spot and she gasped. The hand on the back of his neck told him not to stop. "Don't. Stop." She breathed each word when he nipped at the sensitive area below her ear, her other hand gripping his shoulder.

From her reaction just from him touching her, he couldn't stand it much longer and pulled away for a minute. "Wait, I should get this," He reached for the condom and opened it, readying himself. John grabbed for a pillow and placed it under her hips, taking a hold of another to make her comfortable. Maria couldn't stop smiling from how gentle he was being and making sure she was comfortable. She had to admit he was a handsome and gentle man. "Ready?"

She nodded and he took a hold of her hand while slowly entering her, watching her for any sign of pain. The sight of her gasping and tilting her head back told him she was feeling the complete opposite and his pride welled up. In no time, they were both moving at a steady pace, bringing forth a deep connection forming between them. Maria wrapped her arms around John's back and held him close as he groaned in her ear with each thrust. She squirmed under him and, with a push, flipped them over so she was on top. Grinning down at Munch's stunned face, she pinned his hands down by his head and leaned down, deeply kissing him as she began to move.

John couldn't resist bucking up to move with her as he french kissed her, tasting her brand of toothpaste in her mouth. Soon they were groaning together and Maria tossed back her head with a soft cry when he wiggled his hands free and touched her breasts, covering one with his mouth. Noticing he wasn't going to last much longer, she decided to put in a little twist and ground her hips into him, rotated her hips.

With a grunt and arch of his back, Munch reached his climax and gripped her waist with his hands, feeling her gripping the sheets near his head. Heavily panting and partially collapsing on him, Maria rested her forehead against his sweaty shoulder and waited for her breathing to slow. John releasing her hips and gently wrapped his arms around her back, holding her close for a few moments.

It didn't take him long to notice she was falling asleep against him and Munch slowly and carefully rolled over onto his side - while holding onto her - and extracted himself to get cleaned up. Barely gone a few minutes, he returned to see she was struggling to stay awake. "Hey," He crawled onto the bed to caress her face. "I'm right here. You can go to sleep, Mar."

"You're not going to leave?" She asked groggily, reaching up to touch his face as well.

John shook his head slowly and laid down beside her. "No. I'm going to be right here with you, okay? I'm not going to leave you alone." She cracked a small smile and cuddled close to him for comfort. Once he draped the comforter around the two of them, it didn't take him long either to drift off into a blissful sleep.

* * *

By morning, Maria awoke to someone holding her in his sleep and softly snoring. Remember the bone shaking bliss from last night, her eyes opened wider and John's features gradually became more clear in her vision. She quickly noticed she was also naked. "Oh, yeah...," She whispered and placed her hand on his bare chest. It took her a few moments before she smiled and nuzzled his neck softly. "John?"

"Hm?" was all she got from him and she chuckled softly. Placing small kisses from his chest to his lips, Frank waited until he began to slowly awaken from her touches and he opened his eyes, showing her his amazing brown eyes. "Morning, Maria."

"Morning." Maria kissed him once more and grinned when she felt him twitch against her leg. "I do have a few hours before I have to leave," She offered, reaching down to brush her fingers along his length. He groaned softly and pressed his hips against her's. "I guess we can go for one more round while we're here."

John opened his eyes and nuzzled her neck gently. "I don't have anymore condoms in my wallet," He muttered sadly.

"I am on birth control pills." Maria laughed when he raised his head, cocking an eyebrow. "Really! I swear I am." He giggled and pulled her closer to deeply kiss her with unimaginable passion, using one hand to direct himself into her welcoming depths.

There they both laid together as he moved his hips to give them both the pleasure they needed. Maria wrapped her arms around him and pressed her forehead against his, raising her leg to drape over his waist as he dragged his fingernails along her thigh. "My God, you're amazing." John gasped out, his lips ghosting along her neck and collar bone as he began to breakout in sweat. Being with her felt like an addictive drug he couldn't get enough of and he couldn't stand not providing pleasure for both of them with her so close.

For the next few moments, they continued their sexual conquest when John rolled over and pinned her under him, closing his eyes with each deep thrust. Trying as best he could, he couldn't stop himself from groaning her name, feeling her hands travel over his body lovingly and touching him gently. Hearing her breathing coming faster and heavier as each minute passed, Munch grunted and linked their fingers together as they climaxed together.

With Maria on birth control, he didn't feel the need to extract himself right away, but instead moved himself in and out of her slowly until their panting slowed, feeling her fingernails digging into his arms each time he slowly pushed himself in.

He finally extracted himself and she sighed heavily. "Been a long time since I've had sex without a condom," He commented softly as they kissed.

"Hm... Not going to judge you on your pristine none-condom sex skills." Maria laughed and sat up on her elbows, tilting her head back when his hands touched her. "I haven't felt this kind of contact in months."

"What kind of contact?" Munch asked, moving closer to straddle her legs and kissed her neck. "Sexual contact? The feel of a man inside you?"

She chuckled in her throat and placed her hand on the back of his neck. "The gentleness of a man touching me actually." John pulled back and looked at her, showing he was little concerned. "Matt never hit me, if that's what you're thinking."

"Good, because I was thinking that." His voice showed the sternness but worried tone about how serious he was feeling towards her. "What do you mean?"

"When Matt and I were in need of contact, it was never really gentle. It was more rough then anything because it all came out as angry sex. That's all we have left in our relationship at this point." Watching him sigh heavily with a growl, she placed her hands on the sides of his face and made him look right at her. "I feel differently about you then I do about him. Matt's nothing to me now. Watching you react about this is telling me you feel extremely strong feelings for my own safety. That little growl when you sighed told me that."

John took a hold of her hands and looked down at their hands for a moment. "He doesn't have a right to treat you like a sex toy or to release his anger on with angry sex. From what I've seen and heard throughout the entire time you have been here, this Matt doesn't deserve you, Maria. You're a great person, with a great smile and personality that deserves to be shared with someone else who cares about you."

"Like you?" Maria whispered, tears brimming in her eyes. They stared at each other for a long time before John leaned forward and kissed her deeply, showing her she was correct. Brushing his fingers through her hair and laying her down on her back, they laid together for a long time.

Glancing at the clock and seeing they had an hour before they had to get going, Maria moved out from under him and kissed the back of his neck gently. "Where are you going?" He asked, lifting his head to look at her.

"I need to take a shower because I have to leave in an hour," She explained, running her hand slowly down his back and backside. She couldn't get over how warm and strong he felt under her hand. "Want to join me?"

John was tempted, but he couldn't do it. "Sorry, I probably shouldn't. If I do, I might just do something that will result in you having to stay here... with me." He reached out and gently touched her hand, seeing her nod slowly. Watching her head towards the bathroom, Munch sat up and draped his legs over the bed, staring down at the floor. He wasn't a very emotional man, but the thought of this woman leaving him left a lump in his throat. For just these two weeks, he had grown very attached to this emotionally wrecked person who needed a gentle hand. Hearing the shower starting, he couldn't stand it anymore.

John stood up and walked into the bathroom, barely startling Maria when he stepped in. "I thought you said-" Her words were cut off when he took a hold of her face and kissed her passionately. She was only startled for a second, but regained her composure and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Munch's arms wrapped about her and held her body close to his. After a few minutes, he broke the kiss for air and finally allowed her to talk - if she could find the words. "John, I-I don't know what to s-say...," She started, stumbling with a few words, feeling the lump of emotions gather in her throat.

"I've come this conclusion that," He paused for a second to take a hold of her hands, "I can't let you go, Maria. I can't let you go knowing you're in so much pain from this relationship you have. I have no one to care about except you."

"You barely even know me," She explained, pulling her hands from his slowly. "How do you know I'm not going to flip out at the slightest things and throw china at you or I'm really a gold digger?"

"Because I can tell you're not. You've seen what I work with and I'm certainly not back stroking through an ocean of money. The only time I've seen you flip out is under extreme stress and agitation when this Matt character called you." John placed his hand on her neck and felt the warm water from the shower streaming through her hair. "I can't let you go because I love you."

Frank froze and stared at him with a blank expression, giving Munch a hard time to understand what she was thinking. Her hands began to gradually touch his stomach like she was seeing him for the first time and tears began to stream down her cheeks. "You do?" He slowly nodded and braced himself for an explosion from her ticking time-bomb of a temper, but she did the opposite. Maria's hands moved from his stomach to his back as she hugged him, their cheeks touching. He gradually returned the hug in case she was really bluffing and was going to pop him over the head with her hand. When she didn't, he felt his nerves beginning to relax and settled down with her body pressing up against his. "Are you being serious, John?" She asked softly a few minutes later.

"I am. I'm being very serious." He broke the hug and moved her water soaked hair away from her face. "I love you, I care about you, I will do anything and everything to keep you safe. I can't bear the idea of you going back to that man to only be verbally abused and used for rough sex. I don't want that for you because you don't deserve it." He brushed away her falling tears with his thumbs and kissed her again.

Maria couldn't get over how good he tasted and placed her hands on the back of his head, pulling him closer. They were soon entangled around each other in the heat of the shower and were quickly preoccupied by moving onto something else when he pushed her against the wall of the shower and eased himself in.

Within a few minutes, both could feel their climaxes coming fast and gripped each other's hands. Dark eyes locked on green eyes, they climaxed together and wrapped their arms around each other, holding on for what they had left. John had found his one person he needed. Maria had found the one person who could help her and love her for who she was.

They fit perfectly together.

* * *

"Maybe we should say our good-byes here instead in front of our partners," John suggested five minutes later, after they had washed each other clean and began getting dressed. He pulled up his boxers and kept his back to Maria. He didn't want to get dressed in front of her or they were going to be very late for the train.

She sighed and pulled her jeans up, working the belt through the loops. "That might be a smart idea. Miles would think I had gotten...laid or something."

"You practically did and three times, may I remind." He smirked, zipping up his work slacks and doing up his belt. Her soft chuckle made his heart feel light as a feather and he turned his head to glance at her for a moment. "Hey." She slowly turned around at his voice. "C'mere."

Sadly smiling, she walked over and into his outstretched arms, holding him tightly to her. "I don't want to leave you," She whispered softly, pressing her forehead against his jaw comfortably. "I really don't. Not now."

"We'll see each other again, I promise." John heavily swallowed and closed his eyes, resting his cheek against her head. "I've helped you this far and I want to help you more." A piece of paper, having been hidden in his hand, was slipped into Maria's and he felt her fingers wrap around it. "Just remember what we've talked about, okay?"

"I will." She gripped the paper and held onto him. She really didn't want to let him go. Gripping him tightly under her hands, Maria pressed her face into his neck and whispered, "I love you, John."

Squeezing his eyes tightly to fight back the tears, Munch struggled to say what he had been wanting to tell her since the moment he really met her. "I-I love you, too." Swallowing his manly pride, he pulled away and slowly ran his long fingers through her hair as they regained their composure to face the world once more. "C'mon. You're partner's going to be wondering what's taking you," he muttered, when they heard a car honk outside.

Feeling time was finally running out, they finished her packing and locked up the hotel room, returning the key to the main office. "Let's just make this as painless as possible, okay?" Maria asked as they neared the waiting car that held Tim and Miles.

Tim cocked an eyebrow once he caught sight of them walking side by side and muttered, "Well, I'll be damned. She's actually looking relaxed for the first time in days."

Leaning forward to see what was coming near them, Moore cocked a smile and elbowed Bayliss in the shoulder. "Hey, she could just be happy she's going home. Mar does hate leaving home for more then a day." In reality, he _really _understood what had happened. He couldn't stop smiling to himself at knowing his sharp edged partner finally had a break in her long-held anger.

M*M*M*M*M*M*M*M*M*M*M*M*M

Once they had picked up their suspect and got everything settled to transport him, Maria slapped on the her own handcuffs and roughly turned him as they waited for their train. Miles stood on the other side of the suspect, holding onto his arm firmly. "When did it say the train was coming?" Maria asked to no one in particular. Munch was standing near her and just being in his presence was already starting to bother her greatly, knowing they probably were not going to see each other again, even if she had a feeling they probably would.

"It said on the wall five minutes." Moore turned his head to look down one way while she looked the other as the sound of the train was coming closer. "Or I could be wrong. Is Peters coming down as well?"

"Yeah. Him and Bringes are coming down to stay watch over him in case we need a bathroom break or catch some food." Frank informed him, recalling a call she had with their Captain last night of the two uniforms coming down with the train to assist. "They're senior unis so it's not like we're getting fresh kids to watch him." She talked to Miles as if the suspect wasn't there between them, restrained by ankle restraints and handcuffs.

Seeing the train pull up and open its doors to let other people off, John instinctively stepped closer to Maria and lightly brushed his hand against her's to show he still cared deeply for her to stay that close. He didn't care Tim was watching him carefully with curiosity and slight concern. He just wanted to be near the person he cared about. "How long is the ride going to be heading home?" He asked.

"Probably roughly four hours," Maria answered, noticing he was standing so close to her. "We would have taken the plane, but Miles has panic attacks on planes and I don't like them much, myself," She added in a low voice only Munch could hear.

He barely nodded and locked eyes with Bayliss, noticing he was watching him. When both men finally broke eye contact after a few seconds, John turned his attention back to Maria as she picked up her shoulder bag and began to reach for the folder that held more paperwork. "Good luck with your case," He said, flashing a small smile.

"Thanks. Next time someone from our territory comes down to yours, be sure to be ready for another tug of war." She took the folder and allowed her fingers to lightly brush against his before tucking the paperwork in her bag. "Got that?"

"I got it."

Frank nodded firmly, flashing a real smile only for him. "Good." Turning her head towards Tim, she shook his hand with her free hand. "Good working with you Tim and hope we meet each other again over something that doesn't involve a case." The young man flashed a smile and both men watched as they steered the suspect onto the train into the waiting uniforms' hands. Glancing over her shoulder on last time before the doors slid shut, Maria saw John give one last small wave with his arms at his sides so Bayliss wouldn't see.

Once they were settled down and the suspect was handcuffed to the armrests, Maria reached into her pocket for the piece of paper John had handed her and opened it so no one was going to see.

_If you need anything, and I mean ANYTHING, you call me day or night._

_I'm not going to allow you to deal with your troubles alone because I know that pain all too well. _

_We'll see each other again, Maria. It won't be tomorrow, a week, a month or even a year later, but we will see each other again._

_Understand?_

Below the word 'understand' was his work, home and cell phone number. Feeling her emotions acting up, she heavily swallowed it and stuffed it back into her pocket to read it again when she got back home.

Moore noticed she was swallowing heavily every few minutes and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm more then okay, Miles," She answered, turning her head to smile at him. "I'm feeling wonderful actually. Do you have free time this weekend?"

"Yeah. Why?"

She cocked a smile. "Because I'm leaving Matt and moving my stuff out. Time to start fresh."

**End!  
Know how long I've worked on this? Months, man. MONTHS! It's always the ending that takes forever since ending something like this isn't easy to do. Gotta love having an extra pair of eyes to help figure everything out. ::smiles::**


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